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Capítulo 53

"What's going on so early in the morning..." Ge Lao Er asked, still half asleep, yawning several times.

"Hey, I'm asking you, where is this old man Li?" the village chief asked.

"It's at the end of the kang (heated brick bed)," Ge Lao Er replied without even looking at it.

"Nonsense, there's no one at the end of the kang!" The village chief slapped Ge Lao Er's white buttocks.

"How should I know?" Ge Lao Er muttered in dissatisfaction.

The village chief stepped out of the room and asked the Hakka woman, "Sister-in-law, do you know where this old man went?"

The Hakka woman shook her head and said, "After I got up this morning, I hadn't gone to the east room yet. My brother-in-law is paralyzed in bed, how could he suddenly disappear?"

"Yes, it's too strange..." The village chief frowned.

The "forest belt" mentioned by the village chief is the windbreak forest behind the village to the north, which is also the ancestral burial ground of the Li family. Under the tall poplar trees, dozens of graves of varying heights are scattered, without tombstones, overgrown with weeds, creating a desolate and bleak scene.

"This is the ancestral grave of the Li family. Sister-in-law, just pick any spot you like," the village chief said with a sigh.

The Hakka woman put down the urn, brushed away the dust, and said softly with tears in her eyes, "Dishui, ever since you came to Taiwan, you've always dreamed of returning to your old home by the Songhua River. Now your wish has finally come true. Alas, may you rest in peace here..."

Ge Lao Er was incredibly strong, and the soil was especially loose in spring, so he quickly dug a large pit. The old woman gently placed the jar in, sighed for a while, nodded, and quietly said, "Bury it."

They lit a few sticks of incense and burned some paper money, thus giving Li Dishui a hasty burial.

"Ge Lao Er, make a mark here," the village chief instructed, turning around to explain, "Sister-in-law, so that when you get old, it will be easier to find you when we are buried together."

The Hakka woman smiled faintly and said, "When you're in the world of martial arts, you're not in control of your own destiny. It's impossible for this old woman to come back here."

Back at the earthen house, they still couldn't find Grandpa Li Dihuo. The village chief said worriedly to the Hakka woman, "Sister-in-law, you should go to the county town first. The police seem to be in a great hurry. I'll have the village get a mule cart to take you to town."

The Hakka woman nodded and said, "Then I'll have to trouble the village chief."

Mules are the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Although they have lost their reproductive ability genetically, their strength and endurance in pulling carts far surpass those of horses. Yaowopu Village on the banks of the Songhua River is nearly 100 kilometers from the county seat. Hakka grandmother and Shen Caihua, carrying a straw mat and their large parrot Dudu, rode in a mule cart, passing through Kaoshan Township, Xinong, and Wanjinta, and arrived in Nong'an County at dusk.

Nong'an Ancient City was founded two thousand years ago in the ancient Buyeo Kingdom. After experiencing many vicissitudes, it was renamed "Huanglong Prefecture" after the Liao Dynasty destroyed the Balhae Kingdom. It was one of the seven major towns of the "Five Capitals and Two Prefectures" of the Liao Dynasty. The famous general Yue Fei of the Southern Song Dynasty once vowed, "I will go straight to Huanglong Prefecture and drink with you all," referring to this place. In the fifteenth year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1889), it was renamed "Nong'an County," and the name has been used ever since.

The county public security bureau is located on an old street near the Liaota Pagoda. In the twilight, the night wind was slightly chilly, and there were few pedestrians.

The mule cart stopped directly at the entrance of the Public Security Bureau. The Hakka woman got off the cart and turned to Chen Caihua, saying, "Wait in the cart, Master will be right back."

"Master, why did the police go crazy?" Shen Caihua asked, puzzled.

The Hakka woman smiled faintly and said, "Master once warned Officer Qi to be careful of that little 'wriggling barbarian,' as it could harm people. But these police officers ignored Master's words."

Shen Caihua nodded. He knew that some insects in the world were quite formidable.

In the county bureau's duty room, Director Wen anxiously awaited the arrival of the Hakka nanny.

"Hello, Sister-in-law Li, my surname is Wen," Director Wen warmly extended his hand to shake hands, and then got to the point, "I heard that you once found a strange worm in the stomach of the deceased Wang Laonian, is that right?"

The Hakka woman nodded.

"Do you know what kind of insect that is?" Director Wen asked again.

“‘Worm-headed Barbarians’ are creatures left over from ancient times,” the Hakka grandmother replied.

Director Wen then asked, "After this strange insect called 'Worm-Headed Barbarian' invades the human body, can it drive people insane?"

"Perhaps," the Hakka woman replied calmly.

Director Wen nodded and then explained in detail why Officer Qi had gone mad.

Yesterday, the criminal investigation team went to Yaowopu Village in Kaoshan Township to investigate the murder scene. After collecting evidence and returning to the county bureau, Officer Qi began to observe the strange worm under a microscope. At first, people didn't take it seriously, thinking it was just an ordinary parasite, and everyone went about their own business.

It wasn't until a series of strange laughs emanated from the forensic lab that people realized something was wrong...

People rushed into the forensic lab and found Officer Qi sitting at his workbench, laughing hysterically, his face streaked with tears and snot, his pupils dull and lifeless, staring blankly ahead...

At this moment, someone stepped forward and gently patted his back. After a while, the laughter finally stopped, and some fine, milky-white foam began to come out of his mouth.

Seeing that something was wrong, everyone quickly shoved him into the car and rushed him to the county hospital for treatment. It was only then that the technician discovered that the strange little worm was gone...

“We suspect that the strange worm may have crawled into Officer Qi’s body. Wasn’t this ‘worm-headed worm’ the one we found in Wang Laonian’s stomach?” Director Wen said earnestly, looking at the Hakka woman as he finished his narration.

"Yes, it has burrowed into Officer Qi's body," the Hakka woman confirmed.

"Could you get it out? I heard that your sister-in-law has a way to force the bug out," Director Wen pleaded.

"Where is Officer Qi now?" the Hakka woman asked.

"They're still in the county hospital's emergency room," Director Wen replied.

“Alright, I’ll take the old woman to see her,” the Hakka woman agreed.

Director Wen ordered his men to bring a jeep. The Hakka woman came to the gate first and told the mule cart owner that he could go back now. The owner then drove the cart to the inn for the night, while Shen Caihua and his pets got into the jeep and headed to the county hospital together.

After learning the purpose of the visit, the on-duty doctor in the emergency room said with considerable dissatisfaction, "That police officer patient was recently taken back to his hometown in the countryside by his family..."

"He's been taken back to his hometown? Doctor, how is his condition now?" Director Wen asked with concern.

"We did an electrocardiogram, chest X-ray, and ultrasound, and also did a blood test, but they didn't find anything wrong. The patient's family said that since the hospital couldn't find anything, they went back to Wanjinta Temple to consult some kind of shaman or something," the doctor explained somewhat sarcastically.

Director Wen frowned. Although it was common in Northeast China to invite spirit mediums to perform rituals, Officer Qi was, after all, a people's police officer, and he had to be mindful of the impact on the public.

"Sister-in-law Li, I'm sorry to trouble you to make the trip to Wanjin Pagoda again," Director Wen said apologetically.

After a simple dinner at the Public Security Bureau canteen, the jeep carrying Director Wen and his nanny headed towards Wanjinta Township, northeast of the county seat.

Wanjinta Township is named after a half-brick pagoda that was left over from the Liao Dynasty. It is about 30 kilometers away from the county seat. When Director Wen found Officer Qi’s hometown, it was already eight or nine o’clock at night.

Under the moonlight, the clamor of gongs and drums echoed from the village, and one could vaguely hear someone chanting along to the rhythm of the drums. Director Wen frowned and turned to the Hakka woman sitting in the back row, explaining, "The 'shamanic dance' in Northeast China is also called 'shamanic dance.' Shamans were the sorcerers of the Manchu people in the past, and 'shamanic dance' is a dance performed by sorcerers during prayers, rituals, exorcisms, and healing activities. It's also known as 'jumping the household gods' or 'burning incense flags' in folk tradition. In fact, it's entirely a feudal superstition, but the people really believe in it, so it's not easy to completely eradicate and ban it."

The Hakka woman smiled slightly, neither confirming nor denying.

The car stopped outside a farmer's yard. Looking through the earthen wall that was a shoulder high, you could see people moving around inside the house, and there was a lot of noise. Even outside the door and windows, there were villagers watching the commotion.

The booming of drums was interspersed with the tinkling of bells, and someone was singing loudly, the melody beautiful and cheerful:

"Call out to my fellow villager and listen to me."

A narrow house means many owners.

The room was small, and there were many people.

A bump or bruise is a big deal.

If you offend a gentleman, it's easier to handle.

Encountering a petty person who causes trouble.

I was afraid he'd say I had no skills, oh dear, cough cough, oh ah...

At that moment, Shen Cai felt a vague sense of familiarity with the voice...

Chapter Seventy-Eight

Director Wen pushed through the crowd and led the Hakka woman and Shen Caihua into the house.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of "toad head" tobacco leaves, mixed with the sour smell of sweat and the excited emotions of the villagers. After all, "shamanic dancing" is the most mysterious activity in Northeast China. The children, in particular, had rosy cheeks, both curious and nervous, and all wanted to witness the magic of the "Fox and Weasel Immortals" with their own eyes.

The stove was ablaze with fire, and Officer Qi lay on the heated brick bed fully clothed, his eyes closed, his face sallow, and a few tiny, milky-white bubbles occasionally appearing at the corners of his mouth.

In the center of the room, a gaunt, bald old man with nine small bronze mirrors hanging from his waist and long bells tied around his waist, held a drum in his hand and sang in a melodious, high-pitched female voice as he danced:

"Officer Qi, stop fooling around."

Your mom is calling you for dinner.

Pig's heart, cow's lungs,

Carrots with kohlrabi

Potato noodles and cabbage hearts,

Boiled pig's trotters, cow testicles,

Dugu Dugu Mixed Dish

My toes feel comfortable.

You say it's good or not, ah, hey, cough, hey, oh ah..."

The villagers burst into laughter, and some mischievous people joined in, singing loudly, "Officer Qi, stop fooling around, your mom's calling you for dinner, ah, hey, cough, hey, oh..."

"Ah, hey, hey, hey, oh..." Dudu the parrot was deeply infected and opened its huge beak to sing, its hoarse voice startling everyone.

"Big bird!" The children immediately stirred and excitedly surrounded Shen Caihua.

The withered old man stared in surprise at the blue macaw, then his gaze fell on Shen Caihua, and his singing abruptly stopped.

"Fellow villagers," Director Wen said loudly, "I am Director Wen of the County Public Security Bureau. Officer Qi is a state cadre. He has a hospital and doctors to treat his illness. Shamanistic practices are feudal superstition and will only delay his treatment. Please disperse, fellow villagers."

When Officer Qi's wife saw that it was Director Wen, she quickly invited him to take a seat and explained with a flushed face, "Director Wen, Old Qi couldn't find anything at the county hospital, so he had no choice but to come back to the countryside to ask the 'Old Master' for help."

Director Wen nodded and said with a slight reproach, "Old Qi is a mid-level cadre in the bureau, he should also pay attention to the impact on the public. Okay, how is his condition now?"

"Director Wen... Waaah..." Officer Qi's wife sobbed, crying out, "She's been unconscious ever since we came back from the hospital, foaming at the mouth. It looks like she's possessed."

"Sigh, we must believe in science. How could there be any possession? Those are just lies made up by sorcerers and shamans to swindle money from people," Director Wen said righteously.

"This old man is the most famous 'master' in Nong'an. He never takes money," Officer Qi's wife blurted out anxiously.

Director Wen was losing face. He turned around, looked at the withered old man seriously, cleared his throat, and then asked solemnly, "What's your name?"

The villagers stopped their commotion and all looked in this direction.

"Old man." The old man's voice was still that of a woman, aged like an old woman.

"Where are you from?" Director Wen frowned and continued to question him.

"Huanglong Prefecture," Elder Ye replied.

"Nong'an County is just Nong'an County. What's with this 'Huanglong Prefecture'? It's just making a big fuss," Director Wen said disdainfully.

Old Ye stared blankly at Shen Caihua and the big parrot Dudu, a joyful smile appearing on his face.

"Hmph, I'm asking you a question," Director Wen sternly questioned, "How many years have you been engaging in this kind of feudal superstition?"

"I can't remember," Old Ye said with a chuckle.

Director Wen was somewhat annoyed and sneered, "You're an old hand, aren't you? Since you're the so-called 'old master,' then tell me, what exactly is wrong with Officer Qi?"

“He’s possessed,” the old man replied.

"What evil spirit have you been possessed by?" Director Wen pressed, asking urgently.